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Dear your MP,

I am writing to you to express my concern about the current gambling laws in this country, particularly the lack of regulation of online gambling. Gambling related harm impacts millions of people either directly or indirectly and we now have evidence, including from Public Health England, which has identified 409 gambling suicides a year.

There are too many cases of gambling operators failing to meet their duties to protect people. The Gambling Commission recently levied a huge fine against an online gambling firm for breaches of their responsibilities. In one particular case, a gambling firm was fined £9.4 million because they allowed an NHS worker, who was only earning £1,400 a month, to set a deposit cap at £1,300 a month: over 90% of their monthly income. In addition to that, they allowed another customer to lose £37,000 in a short period with no checks whatsoever.

Thankfully, the terms of reference for the government’s Gambling Act Review are broad in scope. This means there is an opportunity to address stake, speed and deposit limits online as a priority. While land-based gambling machines are subject to sensible limits, online slots and casino games are currently unregulated – meaning stakes are unlimited and speed of play is unrestricted.

Therefore, huge losses can be incurred very quickly. Pre-set limits on the amount that can be deposited into an online gambling account can be easily circumvented, and those limits can be increased without any checks on affordability. Gambling more than you can afford to lose is a sign of addiction, so reducing harm has to combine safer stake and speed limits with rigorous deposit controls based on affordability. Checks should take place at the point someone incurs losses of £100 a month, and any deposit limits imposed should be overseen by an independent ombudsman.

Secondly, the influx of online gambling advertising during live sport has led to a normalisation of gambling among young people. The unprecedented level of exposure to marketing means there is now evidence that children of primary school age have brand loyalty towards certain gambling companies: a degree of normalisation has led to four in five university students losing an average of £30 every week to gambling. Children shouldn’t be exposed to gambling advertising at all, so at the very least it should not be marketed in football stadiums.

This also means stopping gambling advertising, promotion and sponsorship, including an end to free bets, bonus offers, and so-called “VIP accounts”, all of which are designed to induce gambling beyond the level of affordability.

Thirdly, gambling policy should be informed by evidence, but for too long the gambling industry has funded research through GambleAware via a voluntary levy that can be withdrawn at any time. Industry-funded research has attempted to steer the agenda away from anything that might lead to building a case for reforms that would be effective in reducing harm, such as the stake and speed of certain gambling products.

The gambling industry’s hold over research would end with a mandatory levy, which should be independently administered and set at a level that also covers the cost of a treatment system that remains chronically underfunded.

Finally, it’s far too easy to acquire a gambling operator license and it’s too difficult to lose one. It should be the other way around. A license ought to come with obligations to consumers and to society. That means upholding transparency around terms and conditions and ensuring access to data for independent research.

Regulation must be able to keep pace with technological changes in the gambling industry so newer forms of gambling, such as loot boxes and cryptocurrency, can be better controlled. Regulators should also be given the resources to crack down on offshore operators, ensuring all taxes are paid in full. When they aren’t, and where there are failings by operators to prevent harm and crime, licenses should be revoked.

Given the scale and the severity of the current problems caused by our existing gambling laws that have been outlined here, I hope that you will write to the Minister leading the Gambling Act Review, Chris Philp MP, in support of these reforms.

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